Blue Battles Back to Extend Win Streak

OKLAHOMA CITY - The Oklahoma City Blue (3-0) defeated the South Bay Lakers (0-3), 103-99, in a tightly contested game on Friday night.

Oklahoma City trailed by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter but went on a 13-5 run midway through the final frame to tie the game at 97-all. Scotty Hopson hit the go-ahead shot with 18 seconds left, helping the Blue to a narrow victory.

Hopson led all scorers with 27 points and added seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

"I thought it was a competitive game, [but] in the fourth quarter we dialed in defensively and we were very resilient in that quarter," Head Coach Mark Daigneault said. "I'm happy with the resilience and the effort in the fourth."

The Blue started strong and held a 27-24 lead after the first quarter, behind five points from Thunder assignment player Abdel Nader. Nader finished with 20 points, three rebounds and three assists.

After the teams exchanged runs in the second quarter, the Lakers' Isaac Bonga scored nine in the third, as the South Bay lead ballooned to 13 points, its largest of the game. Bonga finished with 18 points on 7-10 shooting.

Oklahoma City outrebounded the Lakers 55-43, led by two-way player Tyler Davis, who grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds to go along with eight points.

The Oklahoma City Blue will play next on Nov. 11 at the Cox Convention Center against the Texas Legends.